Early Childhood Education
As a dad to two young kids and an educator, Jake sees every day how the early childhood education crisis affects working families in our community. This isn’t just a financial issue, it’s an economic and moral one. When families can’t access or afford childcare, parents are forced out of the workforce, children lose critical opportunities for early development, and our entire local economy suffers.
Right now, it costs more for a working family to send their 0-3 year old to daycare than it would if that same child was being sent to CU Boulder. That’s an economic and moral crisis we must address, and we have the tools to do so. We need leadership, innovation, and political will from local leaders.
In Longmont, we face a shortage of more than 1,000 licensed childcare slots, and the funding gap for early education across Boulder County exceeds $60 million. We simply can’t meet that challenge through patchwork fixes or one-time grants. It’s time for a long-term, community-driven solution.
A Dedicated Early Childhood Education Special District
One of the most promising solutions is the creation of an Early Childhood Education (ECE) Special District — a local funding mechanism supported by leaders across our community. This district would give our community a sustainable way to raise and distribute funds specifically for early learning and childcare access, helping close the funding gap once and for all.
By pooling local resources and leveraging matching state and federal dollars, this district could:
Expand the number of affordable childcare slots available to Longmont families.
Support wage increases and professional development for early educators, ensuring we can recruit and retain quality providers.
Create stable funding for preschool programs that prepare every child — regardless of family income — for kindergarten success.
This isn’t about building a new bureaucracy; it’s about building the infrastructure of opportunity for working families.
Expanding Access Through Innovation
Beyond funding, we need to make it easier for qualified providers to open new childcare programs. That means:
Expanding alternative licensing pathways for experienced educators, paraprofessionals, and family-based providers who are ready to step up but face barriers to entry.
Reforming zoning and permitting to make it simpler and faster to open licensed centers in appropriate mixed-use and residential areas.
Creating developer incentives for projects that include on-site childcare or dedicate space for early learning — because childcare is as essential to a healthy community as parks, schools, or grocery stores.
A Strong Workforce and a Family-First Economy
The childcare workforce crisis is one of the biggest obstacles to expanding access. Many early educators earn poverty-level wages despite performing one of the most important jobs in society. I’ll advocate for city partnerships that support wage stipends, shared services networks, and professional development for early educators, helping them stay in the field and build sustainable careers.
Supporting early childhood education is also an investment in our economy. When parents can afford reliable childcare, they can return to work, employers can retain staff, and the entire community benefits.
Our Commitment to Longmont’s Families
We can’t keep asking parents to shoulder this burden alone. Every child deserves the chance to start strong, and every parent deserves the peace of mind that comes with knowing their child is safe, cared for, and learning.
On City Council, I’ll work with our schools, nonprofits, and local businesses to expand childcare access, grow our early learning workforce, and make Longmont a leader in early childhood education. Together, we can build a future where every child in our city has the opportunity to succeed.
